Gigi Hadid on Beauty, Braces, and Kobe Bryant

Who knew that model phenomenon and social media star Gigi Hadid had a secret crush on Kobe Bryant? Or that she wore a full-on Lakers uniform to school every day before she was snapped on the street sporting Balmain and Chanel? Turns out, there’s a lot the world doesn’t know about Hadid, who just landed a beauty contract with cosmetic giant Maybelline New York. Based on her family ties (dad is a major player in real estate and mom is a former model and reality-TV star) and quick rise to fame, one might expect a “bitch,” as she recently told Teen Vogue. The truth: Hadid is anything but. In fact, she rivals Karlie Kloss as the queen of nice.

This season at Michael Kors, I asked to snap a pic of Hadid’s makeup on my iPhone. Not yet approved by lead face painter Dick Page, she said she would find me once ready. Yeah, sure, I told myself, knowing that the chances of her seeking me out were slim to none. Well, guess what, she did appear at my side a few minutes later, exactly as promised and ready for her close-up. The jaded editor in me was shocked—especially because it was 7 a.m. and catwalkers aren’t usually standing in line to pose for Instagram pics. I was even more impressed when I discovered our shared love for basketball during a fashion week party she was hosting with J.R. Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Here, in the midst of March Madness, Hadid shares her go-to trick for getting rid of pimples, the school uniform she loved, and the person who lets her play makeup artist.

What are your makeup must-haves? I wanted to kind of sport it up for tonight because we’re doing an NBA thing. So I just went for blue eyeliner because I felt like it. Also, I wanted to show off Maybelline’s Color Tattoo [cream eyeshadow]. But I feel like, for most events, if I’m going as a high-fashion model, I usually just like doing a clean face. But I feel like even with a clean face, you still have to kind of contour—so it’s kind of like the no-makeup look. I really love the nude palette from Maybelline for that because there are really good matte nude colors that you use to shadow your eyes and make it look like…

Like you just woke up like this? Yeah! Without it being a smoky eye.

Do you have any tricks for contouring? I use a flat top, kind of cone-shaped brush and Fit Me Bronzer. And if you angle it, it just gets the bottom of your cheekbone really nicely.

Since you’re hosting a party with J.R. Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers, I’m thinking you know a thing or two about basketball. Who are your favorite players? J.R. Smith, my cohost for the night, of course! [laughs]. You know, I grew up in L.A.

So you’re really a Lakers fan? I know they’re not doing so well for me right now, but I’m not going to jump on the bandwagon. I’m still a die-hard Lakers fan and I still go to games when I’m there, even if they’re losing.

I feel your pain—I’m a Knicks fan. Yeah, exactly, so you feel me. I do go to Knicks games when I’m in New York because I need my basketball fix. But Kobe [Bryant] was my childhood crush. I had my 13th birthday at a Lakers game. Oh, and my cake was just white, and then they shaped a jersey [on top] with edible yellow spray paint and lined it in purple, put a zero [on it], and wrote my last name. I loved it. It was like the best thing that ever happened to me.

Did you play basketball? In third grade, I played basketball with the boys every day at lunch. I had braces that were yellow and purple and I wore full Laker uniforms to school.

Maybe you’ll bust out the Lakers uniform again for some street-style photos. I might!

How do you keep your skin looking flawless when you’re constantly putting on and taking off makeup for shows and shoots? I love St. Ives Apricot Scrub, and you can just get that at CVS—it’s so good, though, it’s my favorite! Usually I only use that when I shower, because if I don’t shower I’m usually too tired to wash my face and just use Maybelline cleansing wipes. And then I use Chanel Hydra Beauty Lotion. That’s so good, I love it.

Does your skincare routine change at all during fashion month? I find that I’m putting more lotion on just because the amount of makeup remover that’s on my face sucks the moisture out of it.

I know your mom was also a model. So did she pass down any beauty tips? The one beauty tip that I always use that my mom passed down was when I get a pimple, I use toothpaste.

Does it actually work? Yeah, really well! I just put it on [a pimple] at night before I go to sleep. Then I take [a small piece of] toilet paper, get it wet, put it on my finger and press it over the top, and peel [the excess paper off] around my finger. It dries kind of like a papier-mâché and it holds in the moisture and the toothpaste. In the morning, you just put a wet towel on it, and it all comes off.

Between you and your sister, Bella, who is the bigger beauty junkie? Definitely me. I personally think my sister is so stunning without makeup. And she doesn’t wear that much makeup because she has the best skin color.

You’re not too bad yourself. Thank you! But it’s really cute, because whenever she wants makeup, I always do it for her.

Do you offer contouring services? Yep! I do makeup on her, or I’ll teach her little things that I do.

What’s your go-to look for Bella? Smoky eyes? No, it’s usually just the same as me: foundation, bronzer, and mascara. I think we have faces that if you put too much makeup on them and you’re not a professional makeup artist, it goes drag real quick.